25 Health And Safety Regulations That Apply To Construction (2024)

FAQs

What are the main health and safety regulations in construction? ›

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002. Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998.

The construction industry is obliged to take note of about 20 pieces of legislation that relate to the health and safety of its workforce, customers and visitors.

Safety regulations are defined as mandatory requirements that aim to prevent or reduce injury. They include laws and regulations, such as prohibiting the sale of fireworks, and mandatory standards, such as specifying that children's nightwear be fire resistant.

Everyone is familiar with the Focus Four – falls, electrocutions, struck-bys and caught-in/betweens – the four hazards that kill about 90 percent of construction workers.

It helps the reader to identify hazards and control risks and explains how to plan, organise, control, monitor and review health and safety throughout the life of a project. It is aimed at everybody involved in construction work, including clients, designers, contractors and individual workers.

Their aims are to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, and to safeguard others, principally the public, who may be exposed to risks from work activity.

Health and safety are measures employers must take protect the mental and physical wellbeing of workers and non-workers. The Health and Safety at Work Act protects employees, customers, and visitors in your premises. Ideally, employers aim to eliminate or significantly prevent accidents happening in the workplace.

What are the safety regulations in the workplace? ›

The Building Regulations are intended to protect people's safety, health and welfare in and around buildings. The regulations are also designed to improve conservation of fuel and power, protect and enhance the environment and promote sustainable development.

The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations - known as CDM, these construction-specific regulations apply to every project no matter how big or small.

When health and safety measures aren't followed, injuries and illnesses are more likely to occur which, in turn, reduces the amount of time these employees are able to work on site, therefore lessening the productivity and profitability of the construction business.

Change Orders. Change orders are one of the most probable risks a construction contractor would face. The project owner, the general contractor, or even a subcontractor can initiate a change order.

The majority of construction fatalities result from falls from heights and being struck by moving vehicles, whilst the majority of non-fatal injuries result from slips, trips and falls, and from being struck by a moving or falling object.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

The main provisions of these Regulations require employers to provide: adequate lighting, heating, ventilation and workspace (and keep them in a clean condition); staff facilities, including toilets, washing facilities and refreshment; and.

Keeping workers safe will improve employee morale and when employees are happy with their job, the more productive they will be. Employees operate much more efficiently when they know they can complete their job or task without their health being affected. An effective safety program also works to reduce risk.

It means avoiding hazardous manual handling and using machines or equipment to move or lift loads. For tasks that cannot be handled by machinery, employers should assess the load weight and nature, the posture required to carry out the tasks, the health of workers as well as the working environment.

What are the top 5 causes of stress in the construction industry? ›

These are: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change.

Construction risks An allowance for use during the construction process to provide for the risks associated with site conditions (e.g. access restrictions/limitations, existing buildings, boundaries, and existing occupants and users), ground conditions, existing services and delays by statutory undertakers.

They include unsafe conditions that can cause injury, illness and death. Safety Hazards include: • Spills on floors or tripping hazards, such as blocked aisles or cords.

The Personal Protective Equipment At Work Regulations 1992 is a set of regulations created under The Health and Safety Act placing liability on the employer to ensure suitable personal protective equipment has been granted for those who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety at work.

Table compiled by author. Looking back, there have been 88,899 federal rules and regulations since 1995 through December 2016, as the chart shows; but "only" 4,312 laws. Another 2,419 proposed rules were in play at year-end 2016. Given the Trump administration moratorium, many of those were under review during 2017.

Your most important responsibilities as an employee are: to take reasonable care of your own health and safety. if possible to avoid wearing jewellery or loose clothing if operating machinery. if you have long hair, or wear a headscarf, make sure it's tucked out of the way as it could get caught in machinery.

What are 20 general safety rules? ›

Establish an active workplace safety and health safety committee. Make daily safety inspections part of some employees' jobs. Keep employees informed about safety inspections, injury and illness statistics, and other safety-related issues. Give everyone a meaningful activity that supports safety.

Building regulations approval (building control) are standards that apply to all buildings to make sure they are safe for people who are in or around them. The regulations are a series of Approved Documents covering the technical aspects of construction work.

a. Rule 1410. Construction Safety of the OSHS specifically provides for the safety measures in construction undertakings.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. It's sometimes referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA. It sets out the general duties which: employers have towards employees and members of the public.

The Act outlines what tenants and leaseholders must do around: personal building safety responsibilities for your home and communal areas, ongoing building safety costs (payable by leaseholders who have leases for at least 7 years.)

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002. Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998.

Who is responsible for health and safety on construction sites? ›

All construction workers have a right to work on sites where they do not get hurt or ill through work. Your employer and the main contractor on site are responsible for health and safety, but you must help by being aware of your own and your employer's responsibilities.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

It places general duties on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all persons while at work. Key duties for employers include: Creating a safe working environment for all, including safe access and egress. Establishing and maintaining safe work systems.

It helps the reader to identify hazards and control risks and explains how to plan, organise, control, monitor and review health and safety throughout the life of a project. It is aimed at everybody involved in construction work, including clients, designers, contractors and individual workers.

Employers' Responsibilities

Provide training and information on how to carry out work processes safely. Provide a safe place to work and working environment. Develop a health and safety policy. Undertake risk assessments.

The Act outlines what tenants and leaseholders must do around: personal building safety responsibilities for your home and communal areas, ongoing building safety costs (payable by leaseholders who have leases for at least 7 years.)

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

The main provisions of these Regulations require employers to provide: adequate lighting, heating, ventilation and workspace (and keep them in a clean condition); staff facilities, including toilets, washing facilities and refreshment; and.

Health and safety are measures employers must take protect the mental and physical wellbeing of workers and non-workers. The Health and Safety at Work Act protects employees, customers, and visitors in your premises. Ideally, employers aim to eliminate or significantly prevent accidents happening in the workplace.

By protecting your workers, you reduce absences, ensuring that your workplace is more efficient and productive. Research shows that workers are more productive in workplaces that are committed to health and safety. Reducing down-time caused by illness and accidents means less disruption – and saves your business money.

Construction sites are high risk working environments. Employees are expected to work at great heights with heavy machinery and potentially dangerous building materials. It's crucial that health and safety regulations are closely followed to reduce the chance of injury and protect the lives of workers.

Not only does construction site safety decrease the risk of injuries to the public, but it also reduces the risk of work-related injuries and accidents. OSHA estimates that nearly a quarter of all work-related fatalities occur in the construction industry, and many more injuries that do not lead to death occur as well.

What are the top 3 health and safety risks? ›

Identify the hazards. Decide who might be harmed and how. Evaluate the risks and decide on control measures. Record your findings and implement them.

Table compiled by author. Looking back, there have been 88,899 federal rules and regulations since 1995 through December 2016, as the chart shows; but "only" 4,312 laws. Another 2,419 proposed rules were in play at year-end 2016. Given the Trump administration moratorium, many of those were under review during 2017.

Business owners and employers hold the most responsibility when it comes to workplace health and safety. They are legally required to keep their employees and anyone who might be affected by their business safe from harm, including customers, visitors to the workspace, temporary workers and contractors.

The safety case report is a document that summarises your safety case. It identifies your building's major fire and structural hazards. And it shows how you are managing the risks as far as you can.

From Tuesday 28 June 2022, the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act 2022 come into force. Qualifying leaseholders will pay nothing to remove dangerous cladding, and the amount they can be asked to contribute to fixing other historical building safety defects is firmly capped.

We will establish three gateways at key stages in design and construction, and introduce new requirements during construction, that will apply to higher-risk buildings: Planning Gateway one – at the planning application stage. Gateway two – before building work starts. Gateway three – when building work is completed.